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Moyes to reprimand Young for dive in United win

The England international was shown a yellow card for a dive in his side’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace and will face criticism from his manager as a result.

Manchester United were relatively comfortable in their win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, with goals from Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney securing victory.

However, the behaviour of Ashley Young has sullied the Premier League champions’ victory somewhat, with the England international at the centre of a diving scandal once more.

The former Aston Villa winger has been accused of playacting in the past and was shown a yellow card for simulation in the win over Palace. As Young drove into the box he knocked the ball past Kagisho Dikgacoi and threw his leg out to ensure contact.

David Moyes has admitted that his attacker was guilty of diving and will address the mater internally.

"I've always said I don't like diving," Moyes said after the game.

"Ash has put his leg into the lad's leg. The boy definitely puts his leg out and, rightly so, he deserved to get booked.

Young was also at the centre of United’s controversial first goal, with Dikgacoi given his marching orders after a tackle from behind upended the attacker when he was through on goal. There is an argument to suggest that the initial contact was outside the box, but a penalty was awarded to the home team.

Moyes admitted he could understand opposite number Ian Holloway’s frustration with the decision.

"When I first saw it I thought it was just outside the box but in real time it was a very difficult decision,” the Scot stated.

"I don't like the rule that every time someone is the last man they are sent off. If I was Ollie I'd be disappointed. Unfortunately, they are the rules and he was the last man."

Although Young was relatively blameless for the actual penalty decision, United fans will not be reveling in the controversy that the player seems to repeatedly bring to the club.

The wideman is an effective player and could well play a key role in United’s title defence, but no-one wants to see a player on their team dive.

Moyes has stated that he will bring the issue up with Young, but to stamp this undesirable trait out of the player’s game wouldn’t some sort of disciplinary action be fitting?

Gareth McKnight

I am a freelance football journalist from Northern Ireland, currently living and working from Broome in Western Australia. After a degree in sports journalism from the University of Stirling in Scotland, I started in the online football world and have worked for leading websites and media outlets since. My knowledge and passion is based around the Premier League and European football, but I also have a soft spot for the Australian A-League.